Engine 1 – Station 1

Engine 2 – Station 2

Engine 3 – Station 3

Truck 3 – Station 3 

Firefighters do everything together as “companies” (i.e., training, shopping, conducting inspections, attending meetings, etc) so they can respond to emergencies that may be assigned to them at any time of the day or night.   

A Battalion Chief oversees daily operations and also commands multi-engine responses. The WFD is presently a career fire department, but in July 2009 the WFD will become a “combination” department as we eliminate our Reserve Fire Program of paid part-time personnel returning that program to a volunteer program (no compensation) to cut costs.  

The Fire Prevention Bureau is staffed with a Fire Marshal and two (2) fire inspectors.

·         Call Processing Time - The  911 Public Safety Dispatch Center, a separate organization from the WFD,  has up to 60 seconds to receive the 911 call, gather the information, and begin the dispatch process.

·         Dispatch Time - The  911 Public Safety Dispatch Center has up to 60 seconds to complete the dispatch process so that the emergency call is received by the responding fire units.

·         Turnout Time –Firefighters have up to 60 seconds to receive the emergency dispatch, get dressed into their firefighting clothing (if required), get onto the fire engine, and begin their response to the call. Firefighters may be in their station, they may be involved in training, they may be conducting a business inspection, they may be involved in a work detail, they may be committed to another incident, or if the call occurs at night, they may be asleep when the emergency dispatch is received.  

·         Travel Time – the WFD strives to have the first arriving fire engine arrive at the emergency call within 4 minutes, 90% of the time. We strive to have the balance of the fire engines responding to the incident arrive within 8 minutes, 90% of the time when multiple units are required. 

The WFD is presently averaging over 5 minutes “travel time” to emergency calls within our service area. For a fire engine to drive to the emergency scene within 4 minutes of receiving the dispatch typically means the fire engine must be within 1.5 miles of the emergency call when the dispatch is received. This is the reason why fire stations are located where they are and each fire engine has a primary service area called a “response district”. The areas where travel times are much higher then 4 minutes include the Spring Lake subdivision (over 9 minutes in some areas in 2009) and the unincorporated service area outside of town called the Spring Lake Fire Protection District.

o        Fires – 185

o        Rupture, Explosion – 5

o        Emergency Medical – 3,090

o        Hazardous Condition – 151

o        Service Call – 440

o        Good Intent Call – 485

o        False Alarm – 186

o        Severe Weather Related – 1

o        Other - 1

    Station 1 is located at 101 Court Street

     Station 2 is located at 1619 West Street 

  Station 3 is located at 1550 Springlake Court

 None of the fire departments in Yolo County are large enough that they can handle above a low-hazard fire without help from a neighboring agency. If we have a large incident beyond our staffing capabilities, our communications center automatically requests units from these other agencies to help us starting with the units closest to Woodland. These are called “automatic aid” agreements and they include the fire departments of Willow Oak, Davis, UC Davis, Dixon, West Sacramento, Yolo, West Plainfield, and Rumsey Rancheria.  The Willow Oak and Davis FD’s are closest to us and they are able to respond to our incidents in 15 minutes, if they are available and not committed to their own emergencies.  

The WFD also has agreements with all fire departments in Yolo County whereby we can ask for help from them when we need it, and they can ask for help from us when they need it called a “mutual-aid agreement”. If we have one or more incidents beyond the capabilities of our department and adjoining departments, we can request fire resources from throughout the County to provide us assistance. 

“The fire service has formally been part of the 9-1-1 emergency care delivery system since EMS began in the late 1960’s. Many of the original pre-hospital EMS providers were firefighters, who had “special” additional training in providing medical services during emergencies that occurred outside the hospital. Today, essentially every firefighter receives emergency medical training and the fire service provides the majority of medical services during emergencies that occur out of the hospital, just as it has been done for the past four decades. (Prehospital 9-1-1 Emergency Medical Response: The Role of the United States Fire Service in Delivery and Coordination; White Paper-  Fire Service-Based EMS, 2007)   (Video - Fire Based EMS "The Right Response")

 Firefighters still need to respond to a fire that starts in a fire sprinklered building to finish extinguishing the fire. For example, a fire that starts in a sofa, stuffed chair, or mattress due to smoking will continue to burn inside that item for hours after visible flame is extinguished by a sprinkler activation Those items need to be removed from the structure immediately by firefighters wearing protective clothing, torn apart outside, and thoroughly extinguished.

 Firefighters must check to be sure fire has not extended above the sprinkler system, such as the attic. If a fire burns out of a door or window for example, before the sprinkler system activates (not turned on, not properly maintained, objects blocking the sprinkler head, etc) there is a possibility that the fire can burn up the exterior wall and enter the attic through a vent under the eve of the structure. Attics are not typically protected by fire sprinklers and you could have a major fire building above your head and it will not become obvious until smoke starts rolling out of other attic vents.

 Smoke kills more people in a burning building then does the fire. That is why smoke detectors are so important in every structure because they smell the smoke at night when you are asleep, and wake you up. If a fire starts in a mattress or sofa then the smoke that is produced is very, very deadly in very small quantities. As described previously, this item will continue to burn and produce deadly smoke after the sprinkler system activates. If the occupant is elderly, disabled, under the influence of alcohol or drugs, that person may not be able to get out of the structure on their own, or in extreme cases, may not even either realize there is an emergency occurring after the sprinkler system activates. Firefighters need to perform a search of the structure and be sure everyone is out, and then make sure all smoke is removed from the structure using large fans.

 In addition to the other priorities discussed, firefighters need to respond to turn the sprinkler system off to limit water damage to the structure and unburned furniture. The firefighters will perform what is called “salvage” where they protect the furniture and valuables with plastic tarps, and remove the water from the structure.

 There is always the possibility that a fire sprinkler system does not work properly for a variety of reasons. It may have not been properly designed, properly installed, or properly maintained. The mineral content of water here in Woodland is very high and your sprinkler system needs to be checked and maintained for optimal performance. Commercial sprinkler systems need to be checked by the building occupant or owner quarterly, and serviced by a licensed sprinkler system contractor every 5 years. In a residential system, there are things you can do to check your system as well. Contact the WFD at 661-5860, or stop by the office at 532 Court Street, for instructions and a guide on how that can be done.

 Because a fire sprinkler system does not completely extinguish the fire, because there are still property conservation and life safety issues that need immediate attention after a sprinkler system activates, and because the WFD responds to medical emergencies where brain death can occur within 8-10 minutes of cardiac arrest, a fire station needs to be within a 1.5 mile driving distance of all businesses and residences within the city limit as a goal to meet our response, or “travel time” standard of within 4 minutes 90% of the time.   

• The Spring Lake area is comprised of four different map quadrants and we track our response times by geographic map quadrants. Our shortest response time in 2008 to the Spring Lake area was to the northwest portion of the area (near the general area of Farmers Central and Pioneer Ave) and that was 3:38.
• Our longest response time was to the southwest quadrant of Spring Lake (south of East Heritage Pkwy and west of  Sander Street and all Sander Street cross-streets) and that was 9:23.
• The average response time to the entire City of Woodland in 2008 was 5:09
• Please Note:  “Response time” only refers to the actual time it takes for a fire engine to drive to the scene. In addition to any response time you must add 2 minutes (2:00) for the 911 Center to receive and process the 911 emergency call information, and  another 1 minute (1:00) for the fire resources to receive that information from the 911 Center, get their firefighting gear on, and get out the door of the  fire station. You must add this additional 3 minutes (3:00) to the  “response time” to really know how long it takes for a fire engine to arrive at the scene of an emergency.

• The recommendation approved by the Woodland City Council on April  6, 2004 states that the City “plan the opening of the Spring Lake fire station upon reaching the trigger point of 1,010 occupied single family dwelling units”.
• Barry Munowitch, Director of Community Development, stated at the Town Hall Meeting in November 2008 that we are presently somewhere in the 700 range of occupied single family dwelling units, and that only about 30-40 building permits are being requested annually by the builders in this area due to the economic down-turn.
• At that rate of development the construction time for this fire station is several years away.
• The new fire station, when it is built, will be located on the northwest corner of Heritage Parkway and Parkland Avenue.

Because firefighting is so dangerous this team concept provides some margin of safety. The smallest size of an engine company in the WFD is 3 firefighters. Running an engine company with four (4) firefighters is safer and more productive on an emergency incident, but due to budget reductions, all WFD engines are being reduced to 3 firefighters.

 “The requirement for initial arriving apparatus to be staffed with at least 4 personnel to initiate an interior fire attack is not new. It has been the fire service standard and industry practice for most of the twentieth century, as well as recognized and recommended by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) since at least 1962. The adherence to a minimum level of safety staffing grew out of intuition and experience and is empirically grounded in results from study after study showing the causal relationship of deficient fireground staffing and increased fire fighter injuries.” (Safe Firefighter Staffing - Critical Considerations, Second Edition, Department of Research and Labor Issues, International Association of Firefighters AFL-CIO, CLC, 1995)

 On our most common call for service, emergency medical calls, having at least a three (3) person engine company is critical. In the case of a heart attack, for example, where the fire engine typically arrives first to the scene, the firefighters will do a rapid patient assessment and determine that cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is required. One firefighter will begin chest compressions, the second will begin rescue breathing, and the third will connect the automatic external defibrillator (AED) to the patient and begin heart assessment. Once the ambulance arrives with two (2) personnel, the paramedic will begin advanced patient assessment and supervise everyone on-scene. The ambulance attendant will ready advanced equipment and drugs while the firefighters continue their efforts in CPR. Once the patient is loaded into the ambulance, the medic will ask for two (2) firefighters to ride in the ambulance with them to continue CPR. The remaining firefighter will have to gather all WFD equipment and drive the fire engine to the hospital to retrieve the remainder of his/her engine company.  

 The 2004 National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) staffing standard for career fire departments (1710) established the following minimum number of firefighters responding to a structure fire. These standards are based on case studies of firefighter injuries and firefighter fatalities. They are:

 ·         Low Hazard Structure Fire                                 12 Firefighters

o        Single-family residence                             1 Chief Officer

·         Medium Hazard Structure Fire                            16 Firefighters

o        Apartments, Offices, mercantile,                1 Chief Officer
       and industrial occupancies

·         High Hazard Structure Fire                                 24 Firefighters

o        Schools, hospitals, nursing homes              2 Chief Officers
       High-rise buildings, etc

 The WFD sends all four (4) companies (3 Engines and 1 Truck) to every structure fire so that we have the most firefighters we have available to make our best effort to keep the fire small. If sufficient personnel are not able to respond initially on a structure fire to safely enter for an interior fire attack or rescue, then the Incident Commander will make the determination to fight the fire from the exterior, in a defensive fashion, and save the neighboring homes or structures. 

 To illustrate how the WFD will handle a residential structure fire, the following example is offered:

 All four (4) companies will be dispatched if they are available, and none are committed to other emergency calls. The Captain (supervisor) on the first arriving fire engine must give a “size-up” which is a radio report to all other responding companies of what type and size of structure is burning, where evidence of the fire is showing (i.e., windows or doors, first floor or second floor, front of the structure or the rear, etc), what tactics his/her engine company is going to start doing, and what special assignments need to be given to the next arriving units. Every fire is different so every “size-up” is different.

 A Battalion Chief responds to all multi-engine emergency responses to assume a “command” role directing the engine companies on what they need to do to extinguish the fire, perform a rescue, etc. Once the Battalion Chief arrives on-scene, he/she will make contact with that first arriving Captain, get an update of the fire, and will relieve that Captain so he/she can join their company and their assignment.

 At a working fire at least one engine company will secure a water supply from the nearest fire hydrant laying out a large diameter hose, carried in the back of the fire engine, from the hydrant to the fire. Once the hose is connected to the hydrant at one end and to the fire engine at the other, then a firefighter must turn the hydrant “on”. Smaller firefighting hoses are then pulled from the fire engine to an exterior door and then the hoses are “charged” to make sure they have water in them. Firefighters entering the structure to extinguish the fire will be performing “fire attack”.  

Firefighters assigned to “fire attack” make sure that all of their firefighting protective clothing, including their breathing tank and mask (called a self-contained breathing apparatus or SCBA) are on and properly secured before they enter the burning structure. Firefighters must adhere to the “buddy system” by law which means there must be at least two “fire attack” firefighters going inside, and at least two firefighters standing by outside the structure as their rescue team, before entry into the burning structure is made. Firefighters enter the structure on their hands and knees to stay low under the dense black smoke and the very high and intensive heat. Firefighters can rarely see where they are going as they crawl into the structure and they must follow sounds and heat to find the fire. As additional firefighters enter the structure with additional hoses they will follow deliberate search patterns because they will also be searching to be sure nobody became trapped in the structure.  If anybody is found in a burning structure, firefighters will immediately remove them to safety outdoors and give them immediate medical care.   

Other tasks that must be accomplished immediately, and typically assigned to the Truck Company, include turning off the utilities to the structure (i.e., gas and electric power), and performing “ventilation” which can be accomplished by breaking out windows in some structures (called horizontal ventilation), or it must be done from above in others called “vertical ventilation”. Vertical ventilation is accomplished by a truck company laddering the roof and taking axes, chainsaws, and a long pole with them to open the roof. A large hole is cut in the roof and then the ceiling below is poked through so smoke and hot gases can quickly escape. For the “fire attack” firefighters inside the structure trying to locate and extinguish the fire, vertical ventilation relieves them of the hot dense smoke so they can quickly and easily find the fire and extinguish it. Search and rescue efforts are greatly enhanced by vertical ventilation as well.  

Once the fire is extinguished, then “overhaul” must begin. This is the process of making sure every last bit of fire is thoroughly extinguished and must be done before the firefighters may leave the scene. Overhaul may take many hours to accomplish as firefighters open walls and ceilings to be sure the fire is out. As you can imagine firefighters are already exhausted having extinguished the fire and so “overhaul” is even more exhausting to firefighters and very prone to injury due to their level of fatigue. It is during overhaul that fire investigators will be called to the scene so they can see burn patterns, take pictures, etc before firefighters change the appearance of the inside of the structure too much doing overhaul. In some cases the firefighters remain on scene with the investigators doing overhaul and investigation simultaneously. Both are tedious assignments so this can prolong the time for both dramatically. The goal is to be sure the fire is out, and to be sure we have every clue to determine how the fire started.  

·         Service - Volunteer firefighters give to their community by donating time for training, station and apparatus maintenance, public education, and for responding to emergency calls.

·         Response – Volunteer firefighters are either self-employed or have agreements with their supervisors to drop what they are doing and drive to the fire station, or to the emergency scene, to provide assistance. Afterwards they return to work. A medical emergency call may last 20 minutes; while a structure fire may last several hours.

·         Staffing – To operate safely in an emergency scene there should be a minimum of three (3) firefighters on a fire engine and preferably four (4). Many calls require multiple fire engines respond (i.e., structure fires, grass fires, multiple-vehicle accidents, rescues, hazardous materials incidents, etc) in order to safely and effectively end the emergency. When you are relying on a volunteer workforce to leave their jobs or their families to respond to emergency calls you can possibly end up with only one firefighter responding to the emergency, or none in some cases. This is just not acceptable for a city the size of Woodland with as many emergency calls as we run daily.

·         Call Volume- The WFD responded to 4,685 calls for service in 2008. This averages out to be almost 13 calls per day. Many volunteer firefighters in the County are unable to respond to calls in their community during the day due to job demands.  It would be difficult, to impossible, to find enough benevolent employers in town to let their employees leave the job up to 12 times a day, from 20 minutes to several hours, to serve their community.

·         Training - There are many regulations governing firefighter training requirements and career firefighters shoot for an average of 20 hours of training per month. This alone would be hard for many volunteers to meet due to their normal job, family and social demands. Training in a career department can be made mandatory and is structured in a way that everyone attends training on-duty and receives the same training. This way you know that everybody who arrives on the fire ground from a career fire department has the same knowledge, skills and abilities. That is not the case with a volunteer fire department where you may have a mix of brand new volunteer firefighters with little to no experience, and experienced volunteer Firefighters, all showing up on the same fire engine with vast differences in the knowledge, skills and abilities.

·         Consequences – Volunteer firefighters are giving of themselves to their community and do not receive a paycheck like career employees. With other demands on their time, volunteer fire departments struggle keeping enthusiastic and dedicated members in their department. Members who fail to attend training, events, or emergency calls should find themselves facing consequences for their lack of commitment, but that is difficult when you are dealing with people donating their time to their community and not receiving a paycheck.

·         Insurance Rating – The Insurance Services Office (ISO) is an independent company that rates each community on their ability to provide structural fire protection. ISO evaluates the community’s water system, the community’s fire department, and the community’s ability to receive and process 9-1-1 emergency calls. Each community is rated from 1-10 (1 being the best) and that rating is used by insurance companies to determine insurance rates for residential and commercial properties.  The City of Woodland has just been evaluated and while it retained its 3 rating overall, the fire department was rated a 4 due to staffing, apparatus, and certain training deficiencies.  Many of the rural volunteer fire departments are rated an 8 or lower meaning their ability to staff, respond, and suppress a structure fire rapidly is much lower then a municipal fire department like the WFD. When you have a city where housing is close together in residential neighborhoods or tracts, rapid fire attack is important to keep the fire from burning neighboring structures or homes. As a result, insurance rates are higher in more rural jurisdictions protected by volunteer fire departments.

 The fire engine serves several purposes to the fire company. First, it is their form of transportation around town on errands, and to any emergency. Secondly, the fire engine is much like a business person’s office, or a plumber’s service truck. Everything the firefighter needs to do their job is carried on that fire engine and the firefighters never know, from one minute to the next, when they might need equipment off of the fire engine for an emergency medical call, a rescue, or a fire, etc. It is not uncommon for an engine company to be at the scene of a medical emergency when a structure fire calls comes in. If the ambulance is there, and the ambulance crew can assume control of the patient and that emergency, then the engine company will be released from that scene to respond directly to the fire. For this reason the engine company must have all of their tools with them at all times and those tools are carried on the fire engine.